About

BUG Lab – Bahcesehir University Game Lab

Bahcesehir University Game Lab, also known as BUG, set off on a mission to change the rules of the game in 2012. Bringing together academicians, professionals and people interested in designing games, BUG laid the foundations of a game developer community in Istanbul and served as a model for other cities.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Guven Catak founded this education and communication platform with the following motto: “If the system is not working, it will be corrected with a BUG!” Gathering the Istanbul gaming sector under the roof of a community, BUG also serves as a research-development center for computer games and user experience design. Organizing a wide range of educational activities from game design to programming, interactive narrative to game economies with the participation of professionals from the sector, the lab aims to provide the qualified human resources the sector needs and to provide an environment for teamwork. User Experience Camps, Gamification Workshops and the International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling are some of the activities that took place at the lab. BUG is also the host of the Istanbul branch of the Global Game Jam (GGJ), the world’s largest game jam event (game creation) taking place around the world at physical locations.

Taking advantage of its accumulated experience and international network, with the help of the community, BUG founded the first Game Design Graduate Program in Turkey, also known as Master BUG. The educational framework is later completed with the foundation of the Game Design Undergraduate Program, also known as BUG Jr. The Incubation Center, BUG Kitchen, founded in 2016 serves as a production line for undergraduate and graduate students. The center of interest for the independent game development scene in Istanbul, BUG continues to share its knowledge and experience, providing an environment where dreams come true.